Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the weekly NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Sleeper alert features an under-the-radar player who could produce good numbers. Owners beware features a regular fantasy starter who could fail to meet expectations based on the strength of his opponent. Obvious fantasy starters like Aaron Rodgers and Arian Foster will not be featured in this column. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Start of the week
Cecil Shorts vs. New England Patriots: Shorts has been one of the best waiver-wire pick ups of the season, scoring double-digit fantasy points in five straight games and seven of his last eight overall. He has a great matchup against the Patriots, who have given up the fifth-most fantasy points to wideouts.
Start 'em
Dez Bryant vs. New Orleans Saints: Bryant fought through his injured finger last week, scoring 11.90 fantasy points and his eighth touchdown in his last six contests. Barring a setback, he should remain in starting fantasy lineups against the Saints and their weak pass defense. Miles Austin is also a nice option.
Eric Decker vs. Cleveland Browns: Decker is coming off one of the best performances of this season, and a matchup against the Browns makes him a nice option in Week 16. Cleveland, which will put CB Joe Haden on Demaryius Thomas, has allowed more fantasy points to wideouts on the road than any other team.
Pierre Garcon at Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have struggled to stop opposing wideouts in recent weeks, allowing an average of close to 27 fantasy points to the position over the last five weeks. That makes Garcon, who has three touchdowns in his last four games, a nice option as a No. 2 or 3 receiver.
Sleeper alert - Danny Amendola at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Amendola returned from an injured heel with a vengeance last week, posting 58 yards, one score and 13.80 fantasy points. I'd keep him active in standard and PPR leagues against the Bucs, who have allowed the most fantasy points to wideouts at home.
Sit of the week
Larry Fitzgerald vs. Chicago Bears: Oh how the mighty have fallen. Over the last four weeks, a total of 98 wide receivers have scored more fantasy points than Fitzgerald. 98! His fortunes are unlikely to change against the Bears, who have surrendered the seventh-fewest fantasy points to wideouts on the road.
Sit 'em
Steve Johnson at Miami Dolphins: Johnson is coming off a nice fantasy performance last weekend, but his career numbers against the Dolphins have not been good at all. He has fewer than 85 yards in all six meetings, no catches of 25-plus yards and has never scored a single touchdown against this AFC East opponent.
Michael Crabtree at Seattle Seahawks: Crabtree has been on fire in recent weeks, and he'll be a more attractive fantasy option if CB Richard Sherman is suspended. For now, though, the matchup is not an attractive one. The Seahawks have allowed fewer fantasy points to wideouts at home than any other NFL team.
Denarius Moore at Carolina Panthers: Moore was a nice option earlier this season, but his numbers have fallen off the map in recent weeks. In fact, he has failed to score double-digits in five straight contests. The Panthers have been tough on wideouts all season, so Moore is someone to keep on the sidelines.
Owners beware - Danario Alexander at New York Jets: Alexander was an enormous bust last week, failing to score a single fantasy point in a loss to the Panthers. Now he'll face off against CB Antonio Cromartie and a Jets defense that has surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points to wideouts at home.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
